The Westinghouse Time Capsule at the 1939 New York World's Fair

Time in a Box

Humans like to seal collections of ephemera in containers that they then hide in soon-to-be-forgotten places. Whither the time capsule?
A Mnemosyne mosaic from the second century AD

Healing and Memory in Ancient Greece

The goddess Mnemosyne helped bards remember what to sing and was the mother of the Muses. But she also played a role in healing sanctuaries.
View of torn poster on wall

The Internet Is Rotting⁠—Let’s Embrace It

Forgetting is beneficial for the human brain. But the internet has made it harder to let go of painful or problematic memories.
A teenager listening to a record through headphones

The Nostalgic Quality of Our Parents’ Music

Behind the curious phenomenon of "cascading reminiscence bumps."
Forgiveness flower

The Future of Forgiveness Is Online

When our flame wars, insensitive Facebook comments, and rude texts are catalogued online indefinitely, can we still forgive and forget?
Red snapper chromolithograph 1898

Fish Are Smarter Than You Think

Fish intelligence? Yes, many studies have documented the ability of fish to learn from their environment. Fish exposed to a more complicated environment have an edge in learning.
White Bear

Radical Questions: Am I My Memories?

"White Bear," an episode of the television show Black Mirror, documents the cruel and unusual punishment inflicted on the protagonist, an amnesiac.
DNA Strand

Using DNA As a Memory Drive

Scientists have successfully encoded a simple movie in bacteria DNA, and played it back. Using DNA for data storage is not as crazy as it sounds...
Woman thinking

The Science of Thingummyjigs (and Other Words on the Tip of Your Tongue)

What is actually happening when you can't think of the word you mean? It's called Tip of the Tongue syndrome and yes, it's been studied.
Black and white family photos laid on wooden floor background.

The Brain’s Memory Back-Up Plan

Neuroscientists have discovered how memory is stored–and backed up–in the brain.